Digital Signage Blog » Featured Post

Hungry for a Digital Menu Board

DigitalSignageBlog — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 12:09:54 +0000

Take away stores are fast adopting the use of digital menu boards rather than static poster or light boxes. The advantages of moving to digital is quite obvious but let me summarise them again:

You can quickly and easily update prices on a digital board rather than spending more money to print the posters
Use animation to grab attention. A video clip of the food is more enticing than a static image.
Schedule the food menu based on the time of the day. E.g. Breakfast for the morning, lunchtime for the afternoon and dinner for the evening.
Easily manage and update the content yourself rather than relying on a designer. Once you have the template designed, all you need to do is just update the content. The process of changing the content has now become so much easier.
It’s now more affordable!!!!

Now this week, we assisted a Pizza Take away store with the implementation of a digital signage solution.3 screens were installed behind the front counter and 1 near the front. The front screen is used for specials whereas the 3 behind the counter is used to display the menu. The solution is simple but most importantly affordable – this was the main criteria for the business owner.

Below are a few pictures of the implementation:

Digital menu boards can be implemented with the most simplest solution e.g. using a Screen with a built in player or for a large retail chain it can be a network of digital signage players with Content Management Servers.

It’s only a matter of time before we will see all menu boards going digital. So if you’re interested in a digital menu board have a look at this special package.

© AdvertiseMe.com.au for Digital Signage Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 17 comments |
Post tags: Animation, Animation Effects, Business Owner, Content Management, digital signage, Food Menu, Implementation, Light Boxes, Lunchtime, Management Servers, Matter Of Time, Menu Board, Menu Boards, Menus, Moving, Pizza, posters, Retail Chain, screens, Signage Solution, Static Image, Time Of The Day, Usb Drive, Video Clip

Guest Bloggers on the digital signage blog

DigitalSignageBlog — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 14:45:38 +0000

It’s official, after many years of blogging we have decided to open our doors and accept guest bloggers. After some discussions we decided to invite digital signage industry experts from all over the world to help us share their industry experiences and insights with the rest of the digital signage community.
It is an open invitation, however, we are selective on the content.

There are some guidelines that need to be taken into thought when producing each post.
We will NOT be accepting:

Advertisements about your company
We will include a short description about who you are and your company but we will not accept a post that is solely focused on advertising your company or your products.
PRs that get splatted across the internet
We want unique content so if it’s a PR that has already been submitted on the internet we will not accept it.
Duplicate blog posts
Please do not copy and paste content from your current blog, Unique content is what makes the digital signage blog different and we would like to keep it this way
Posts that indemnify or scrutinise other people or companies
As the title suggests, this part is pretty much self-explanatory. Please keep your content professional.

We will be limiting to publish 1 post per guest blogger a week.
We are looking for guest bloggers that have a passion about digital signage and are not purely looking for an avenue to advertise their company – we have a paid advertising section for this! So if you think you fit in this criteria and are interested to become a guest blogger for the digital signage blog then send us an email at info@digitalsignageblog.com with a short description on what you can offer to this blog and we’ll get back to you.

© AdvertiseMe.com.au for Digital Signage Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 11 comments |
Post tags: Advertisements, Advertising Company, Amount Of People, blog, Blogger, Bloggers, Blogging, Copy And Paste, Current, digital signage, Doors, email, Golden Rule, Industry Experience, Industry Experiences, Industry Experts, Industry News, Insights, Internet World, Main Goals, Nbsp, Open Invitation, Passion, Paste Content, Peace And Harmony, Prs, Rule Of Thumb, Share Industry, Short Description, Signage Industry, Spam

Product Review: Panasonic Embedded Player ETX1312C1000

DigitalSignageBlog — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 02:35:28 +0000

This week we want to share with you another great Panasonic product we use for our digital signage installations. It is the Panasonic Embedded player ETX1312C1000 which can only be used with Panasonic Plasma screens with the Slot compartments. These units come with pre-installed Windows Embedded XP or Linux and are just like any other ordinary PC’s except that they allow you to hide these in the actual screens. The current unit only has 1GHz processor which can sometimes videos with scrolling ticketers to lag, although we’ve heard rumours that there is an new model being released which has much higher CPU specs. The embedded player actually takes up two slot compartments so you need to be aware of this.

Below are the specs from Panasonic’s website:

Key Benefits:

Embedded Design

The PC integrates seamlessly into a Panasonic professional plasma.
It minimises the need for cabling, making installation easier, removing the
need for a separate PC or an extra air conditioning unit to keep it cool.

Control

Change the way you communicate to staff and customers. Enjoy the flexibility of updating your content in real time, when you want it, where you want it and as often as required.

Power

A single power source ensures that no additional power is required.
With an ultra low voltage chip of 15 watts, energy usage is lower than a light bulb.

Reliable

Based on an industrial grade PC platform, the system is stable and reliable for uninterrupted playback of multimedia content.

Speed

Unlike traditional forms of signage such as billboards and point-of-sale posters, the digital signage solution allows dynamic and rich content, ensuring fast transfer of information via the screens.

Scalable distribution

The application is scalable from one screen to thousands of screens nationwide, networked via wireless, WAN, LAN or satellite distribution.

Low Noise

Low noise operation makes Panasonic professional plasmas suitable for hospitals, hotels, libraries and museums.

Embedded PC: ETX1312C1000

1GHz ULV Intel Pentium Celeron Processor

Dimension: 203 (W) x 32(H) x 125 (D)mm 2-Slot Size

Supports LVDS and CRT Interface

Supports both Landscape and Portrait Display Mode

512 MB DDR SO-DIMM

2.5″ 40GB HDD & Compact Flash Interface

10/100 Base-T LAN x 1

Max. 15W Power Consumption Intel 82855GME/ICH4 Chipset

OS: Windows XP or XP Embedded or Linux (optional)

4x USB 2.0 Ports (2 Connectors @ Terminal & 2 Headers on Board)

Interface: (2x USB2.0, 1x COM (RS232), 1x LAN (RJ45 w/ Status LED),
3x Audio Jack Connectors for Line Out, Line-in & Mic)

© AdvertiseMe.com.au for Digital Signage Blog, 2010. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: Additional Power, Billboards, Board Interface, Celeron Processor, Crt Interface, Current Unit, digital signage, Energy Usage, Flash Interface, Intel Pentium Celeron, Libraries And Museums, Light Bulb, Low Noise, Low Voltage, Multimedia Content, Noise Operation, Panasonic Plasma Screens, Panasonic Product, Pc Platform, power consumption, Power Source, Rich Content, Satellite Distribution, Signage Solution, Slot Size, Uninterrupted Playback, Wan Lan, Watts Energy, Wireless Wan

University Of New South Wales installs digital signage in Hospitals

DigitalSignageBlog — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 02:00:07 +0000

Last month we were engaged to install the digital signage Solution for the UNSW (University of New South Wales) Western Sydney Clinical Studies in one of the major hospital in NSW.

The South Western Sydney Clinical School (SWSCS) was established in 1990 and it is unique to the UNSW city clinical schools in that it embraces multiple campuses, allowing access to a broad and diverse range of health care services delivered to a large (approximately 800,000 people) and diverse population.

The SWSCS is centered at Liverpool Hospital (600 beds), a principal tertiary referral hospital for the South Western Sydney Area Health Service (SWSAHS). An active teaching and research programme is also run at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital (400 beds; the second principal referral hospital in SWSAHS) and at Campbelltown and Fairfield Hospitals, as well as a number of other facilities.

Requirements

The requirements for this digital signage project were:

The large screens needed to be in portrait rather than landscape
Screen needed to be mounted against the wall
Display different content including websites, timetable, presentations, images, RSS uni news etc.
Needs to be scalable and flexible
A dedicated CMS server hosted at the main Hospital Campus
Players needed to be embedded in the screen since there was no space to store these

The Solution

The solution we provided the University consisted of the following:

CMS Dell Server
PADS Digital Signage Software
Panasonic Screens with embedded players
Adtec wall bracket

As usual we worked with local staff and the IT network engineers to connect the players to the UNSW network. We’ve got more screens and players to install but for now have a look at the some of the below photos

© AdvertiseMe.com.au for Digital Signage Blog, 2010. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: Area Health Service, Campbelltown, Cms Server, Dell Server, digital signage, Digital Signage Software, Health Care Services, Hospitals, Lidcombe Hospital, Liverpool Hospital, Network Engineers, New South Wales, Referral Hospital, Signage Project, Signage Solution, Slideshow, Software Panasonic, South Western Sydney, South Western Sydney Area Health, South Western Sydney Area Health Service, Sydney Area Health Service, Tertiary Referral, University Of New South Wales, Unsw, Western Sydney Area Health, Western Sydney Area Health Service

Advertise Me interviews Flypaper – Digital Signage Software

DigitalSignageBlog — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 23:26:15 +0000

We had the opportunity to interview Don Pierson from Flypaper, a company that provides digital signage Software for agencies, developers and businesses to quickly create, share, collaborate, edit, reuse and track digital signage content without any programming.

Don Pierson is the founder and president at Flypaper where he is responsible for delivering rich, interactive e-learning, digital signage, and marketing content to corporate clients. Pierson has two decades of experience in the interactive communications industry. In 2003, he founded Interactive Alchemy and as CEO drove a successful services business that fulfilled the communication and training needs of marquee clients including MetLife and United Airlines. Using the proceeds from the success of Interactive Alchemy, Pierson created a collaborative development tool called Catalyst. By 2006, Pierson identified a broader applicability for the Catalyst solution, and set out to develop what is now Flypaper. He holds a BA in management from Arizona State University, with honors.

As a bonus we’ve managed receive a promotion for our readers… so read the interview for the promotion – you will not be dissapointed!!

advertise me:	For our own records, how did you first come across or hear about the digitalsignageblog.com?
Flypaper:	We found your blog while looking for industry news.
Advertise Me:	Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your company?
Flypaper:	Flypaper Studio, Inc. is the leading Flash Content Creation Platform that empowers programmers and non-programmers alike to create, edit, share, track and reuse high-impact Flash and video content. It’s a real problem-solver for the Digital Signage space especially because it allows anyone to edit and manipulate high-quality Flash content without touching programming code. Output from the application rivals the interactivity and quality of custom Flash and After Effects development, but in a fraction of time and cost typically associated with such projects. Plus it’s usable by a much broader group of people; you don’t have to have a specialized skill set.
Advertise Me:	How did the company Flypaper start and what was the inspiration behind the business?
Flypaper:	Flypaper Studio initially started as Interactive Alchemy, a services organization that created Web-based marketing and training content for Fortune 1000 clients. Interactive Alchemy was founded in 2003 and within two years, the Flypaper™ solution began to emerge in response to evolving customer needs for faster development cycles, a simple, “do-it-yourself” option, and the ability to easily edit and reuse Flash content. The company also identified a clear and common denominator among every client: a desire to create, repurpose, and track Flash content projects across the entire organization, as well as between developers and their clients. Today, the company is focused on the Flypaper Flash Content Creation Platform that effectively fills that gap by putting the power to easily create, edit, reuse and track Flash and Motion Graphics into the hands of end users.
Advertise Me:	What’s the story behind the company name?
Flypaper:	Digital Signage content created with Flypaper really “sticks!” J
Advertise Me:	What type of product does Flypaper sell?
Flypaper:	see above
Advertise Me:	Which industries is Flypaper targeting?
Flypaper:	Flypaper works primarily with Digital Signage companies and eLearning professionals.
Advertise Me:	How easy is it to share the content created from Flypaper?
Flypaper:	Extremely easy. Flypaper content can be shared in a variety of ways through the platform. The entire creation and workflow process can be facilitated via sharing portions of the creation of the project across specialized team members. In addition, since the 3.2 release earlier this year, teams can now own specific portions of a project and then merge the entire project at the end.
Advertise Me:	What are the benefits of using this technology over traditional software tools such as Flash?
Flypaper:	Cost and ease of use – hands down. Using Flypaper instead of traditional Flash (which entails hiring developers) costs drastically more upfront and in the long run. Because Flypaper is editable and reusable, companies don’t need to hire a Flash developer every time they need to redo something, or even to make a small edit. Additionally Flypaper brings a level of very high-end content to the digital signage industry that wasn’t available before.
Advertise Me:	How easy is it to use the application?
Flypaper:	Flypaper is extremely easy to learn and use. Customers have said they can learn the application and develop a piece of digital signage content in a matter of hours.
Advertise Me:	Is there a limitation or compatibility issues with using Flypaper with traditional digital signage applications?
Flypaper:	No. Flypaper outputs all the standard media types. On occasion we’ve worked with scheduling and player software providers to tweak their non-standard implementations, but the effort required has been minor.
Advertise Me:	Are there stock images, videos or templates that the application comes with?
Flypaper:	Yes, users can start new content from scratch, or jump-start projects by selecting from one of hundreds of professionally designed templates available from the Flybrary (our proprietary library of templates and components). These can be edited and changed very easily. Everything is drag and drop. Additionally, new templates and components are added all the time and can be found through a simple keyword search from within the application.
Advertise Me:	How much does it cost and would a company need to pay a license fee for each screen or digital signage player?
Flypaper:	Flypaper licenses range from $795 for a single desktop license to $1,495 for a license for the Professional version, which includes collaboration and other cloud services. The Digital Signage version is $995. The license is for a creation seat. The content that is output can be played on an unlimited number of screens or players.
Advertise Me:	Can you offer a special promo to our readers?
Flypaper:	We can offer free admission to a training webinar for anyone who purchases flypaper in 30 days time from this review running and reaches out to Alex Mueller, amueller@flypaper.com.
Advertise Me:	Do you have any advice for people who are planning to start a business in the digital signage industry?
Flypaper:	This is a great time to do it. We’d suggest that you look for proven providers that offer a great deal of flexibility. Customers don’t like feeling that they’re held captive.
Advertise Me:	This is our final question. What do you see as the next “BIG THING” in digital signage?
Flypaper	Intelligent digital signage that doesn’t try to broadcast a message to an amorphous audience, but rather delivers targeted content that’s likely to be of interest to specific audience members. It’s even more effective when the targeted content engages the individual via interactivity.

Here’s also a quick video to show everyone how easy it is to use and create content with Flypaper:

About Flypaper

Flypaper Studio, Inc. is the leading Flash Content Creation Platform that empowers programmers and non-programmers alike to create, edit, share, track and reuse high-impact Flash and video content. The Flypaper platform allows anyone to edit and manipulate components without touching programming code. Through an SDK that converts Flash elements into Flypaper Components, Flash Programmers can create components, which can be edited and reused. Output from the application rivals the interactivity and quality of custom Flash development, but in a fraction of time and cost typically associated with such projects. For more information, visit www.flypaper.com.

So the special promo would be that for the next 30 days, anyone who purchases Flypaper and reaches out to Alex Mueller, amueller@flypaper.com, will receive free admission to a training webinar.

© AdvertiseMe.com.au for Digital Signage Blog, 2010. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: Alchemy, Arizona State University, Clie, Clien, Collaborative Development, Common Denominator, Communications Industry, content creation, Content Projects, Corporate Clients, Custom Flash, Customer Needs, Development Cycles, Development Tool, digital signage, Digital Signage Software, Don Pierson, Entire Organization, Faster Development, Flash Content, Flypaper, Fortune 1000, Free Admission, High Impact, Impact Flash, Interactive Communications, Interactivity, Metlife, Motion Graphics, Problem Solver, Programming Code, Promo Code, Quality Flash, Repurpose, Services Organization, United Airlines, Video Content, webinar

Should we have guest posts on our blog?

DigitalSignageBlog — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 11:58:07 +0000

We are constantly receiving emails and comments from people asking to publish articles on our blog. Since the first day we launched this website we wanted to keep this digital signage blog as our own blog. That is, we write and publish our own articles. But because of the constant requests we MAY and I repeat we MAY be thinking of having guests posts. That’s why we’re asking you, our readers what you think.

© AdvertiseMe.com.au for Digital Signage Blog, 2010. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: blog, digital signage, First Day, Poll Id

Introducing the latest Cayin product SMP-WEB4

DigitalSignageBlog — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 03:13:25 +0000

Being authorised resellers of the Cayin product, we want to take this opportunity to review their latest product – the SMP-WEB4.

The SMP-WEB4 was only recently launched in Australia and we were fortunate enough to get our hands on this unit.

The unit itself looks completely different from the predecessor. Rather than just being a rectangle box the WEB4 looks more robust and has a fancy design. The other noticeable differences are:

1. S-Video input – the previous model had a Composite input so you’ll notice some better quality for your video input (this can be an external camera, DVD player, set top box or anything that has S-Video output)

2. Power – this is something we mentioned to Cayin several years ago and they actually listened. The end of the power cable can be twisted to the power socket – this means no further accidental power disconnections.

3. Two COM ports – and they are enabled so you can connect an external device and use an RS232 cable. You will now be able to remotely send commands to a screen or device that uses RS232.

4. DVI and VGA port – yes this means you will be able to connect two screens to this player. The same content will be played on the screens (the term used for this is called CLONE). If you are looking to display different content by using the same player then we recommend you use the SMP-DUO. The SMP-DUO has two DVI ports and one VGA port so you can configure this as an extended screen.

5. Software – there’s so many additional features that have been included in the WEB4. Some include the ability to add RS232 commands in the playlist, the ability to create local schedules, the ability to use the skin editor and add this to the playlist (for those who have used the SMP-PRO, it basically means they have combined the PRO features in the WEB). How awesome is that!!!!

6. Performance – it’s basically faster! It has a faster CPU, more memory and has a bigger HHD. To top it off it also has a 1Gbps LAN port to speed the process of copying files.

7. CPU Monitoring – One of the other great features is that the there is a CPU temperature sensor to help monitoring player’s operation status.

The SMP-WEB4 is one of the many digital signage fanless players we stock. It is also one of the most comprehensive and innovative products we’ve used and deployed in corporate and retail organisations. By integrating this player with the Cayin Content Management Server it becomes one of the most powerful digital signage solutions in the market.

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Post tags: australia, Authorised Resellers, Cayin, Clone, Composite Input, digital signage, digital signage player, Dvi, External Camera, Fancy Design, Innovative Products, Noticeable Differences, Perf, playlist, Power Cable, Power Socket, Predecessor, Pro Features, Rectangle, Rs232 Cable, S Video Input, S Video Output, Skin Editor, Two Screens, Vga Port, Web4

Digital Signage World Australia 2010

Danny Hsueh — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 03:17:02 +0000

The first dedicated digital signage expo in Australia spanning just over half a hall at the Sydney Convention Centre. There were the usual players in the game showcasing their latest products and technologies, and as usual it was the manufacturers who stole much of the stage. The free seminars held almost every hour was an added bonus by experts sharing their knowledge and practical experiences.

Some of the showcase included:

Camera tracking technologies with facial, gender, height, and age recognition
3D digital signage
Video walls, LED displays, Super slim panels
Kiosks
and many more

Not a great amount of visitors in my opinion, however speaking with some of the exhibitors they said it was more than they expected. The majority of feedback I have received from them is that the quality of visitors were all either in the buyers market or looking to create business relationships, with a handful just showing interest and wanting to know more about the technology.

Although I did not see many of the current operating businesses exhibiting, I am guessing being the first show, some of us are still scoping out what the response is like.
From the outcome of the show, I expect to see a lot more exhibitors and visitors next year.

© AdvertiseMe.com.au for Digital Signage Blog, 2010. | Permalink | One comment |
Post tags: 3d Video, Added Bonus, Business Relationships, Camera Australia, Camera World, Caption, Dedicated Digital, digital signage expo, Digital Video, Exhibitors, Free Seminars, Game, Handful, Intel, led, Practical Experiences, Showcase, sony, Sydney Convention Centre, Video Digital, video wall, Video Walls, World Australia

Use the hash tag #digitalsignagearticles.com

DigitalSignageBlog — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 12:57:19 +0000

It’s almost been a year since we launched the digital signage articles website and as a birthday gift we decided to introduce the twitter hash tag #digitalsignagearticles.com tool. Basically, if you use this hash in your twitter post it will be automatically added to the http://www.digitalsignagearticles.com website. It’s simple and it’s free.

So happy birthday digitalsignagearticles.com

© AdvertiseMe.com.au for Digital Signage Blog, 2010. | Permalink | One comment |
Post tags: Birthday Gift, digital signage, Happy Birthday, Hash, Tag, Tool

Top 10 reasons why you should use digital signage

DigitalSignageBlog — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 05:25:30 +0000

This week, advertise me decided to put together our own TOP 10 reasons why you should use digital signage and here’s our list in no particular order:

The “wow” factor, if you want to stand out from your competitors, digital signage attracts attention and it’s definitely a way to attract customers into your store
Because the other guy down the road has it – this may sound childish but it’s human nature to feel as though you need it because someone else has it
For large shopping centres, digital signage is a revenue driving tool to generate money from advertisers. Digital signage can also used as a tool for notifying customers of information/sales/events to get more customers coming into the shopping centre
It helps engage the customers at the point of sale – sales have increased with this approach (you can easily find proof of this from case studies that can be found on the Internet)
Eliminates the cost and waiting time compared to printing. Content can be updated at any time and almost instantly
Digital Signage gives the user the ability to run campaigns at certain time blocks during the day, and switching over to show relevant information depending on the time of the day. That means you’re in control of what is displayed to your audience
Digital Signage can be used as a tool to interact with your customers. At times this can act as an extra sales person when all staff are busy – it definitely keeps customers entertained rather than waiting to be served. Especially something for the blokes while they wait for their partners trying on countless clothes, it keeps everyone happy
It’s cool and makes the environment more “livelier”. If done correctly it creates a unique atmosphere
You will be able to display different types of content (advertisements, live TV, images, news, weather, basically whatever you want) on the same screen
It helps your marketing team effectively and efficiently communicate messages with your customers, clients and employees

Do you agree or disagree with some of these reasons? Let us know of any other reasons why you should use digital signage.

Feel free to submit your answer as a comment.

© AdvertiseMe.com.au for Digital Signage Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments |
Post tags: advertise, Advertisements, advertisers, Atmosphere, Blokes, Bys, Cambria, Campaigns, Case Studies, Centre Management, Charset, Clothes, digital signage, Div, Family Auto, Font Definitions, Footer, Guy Down, Human Nature, Information Sales, Initiator, Lt, Marketing Team, Math, money, Mso, Orphan, Paper Source, Pitch, Point Of Sale, Printing Content, Priority, Proof, Props, Sales Person, Sans Serif, Shopping Centre, Shopping Centres, Signature, Store Messages, Style Definitions, Style Type, Theme Font, Time Blocks, Time Of The Day, Times New Roman, Tv Images, Waiting Time, weather, Wow

Advertise Me Interviews Christie MicroTiles

DigitalSignageBlog — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 05:30:17 +0000

Interview with Richard Heslett, product manager, Christie® MicroTiles™, Christie Digital Systems USA, Inc. He is responsible for product lifecycle management: identifying and evaluating market opportunities, defining product requirements and developing sales and marketing strategies.

advertise me:	Hi Richard, thanks for joining us for this interview and welcome to the digital signage blog.
Christie:	Thanks. It’s a pleasure to meet you and your readers!
Advertise Me:	For our own records, how did you first come across or hear about the digitalsignageblog.com?
Christie:	Your site targets many of the key industry players in digital signage who are interested in the latest developments, trends and products that can help them do their jobs better. We believe it is an excellent venue for connecting to that target audience.
Advertise Me:	Could you please briefly explain to our readers about the product?
Christie:	Christie® MicroTiles™ are the new digital canvas, comprised of lightweight tiles that lock together quickly and easily, like building blocks, to form a digital display of any shape or scale. They are specifically designed for maximum image quality in indoor, high-ambient light environments and are ideal for a wide range of demanding applications. Leveraging the strengths of both DLP® projection and Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology, Christie MicroTiles offer substantially brighter images and a much wider color palette than conventional LCD and plasma displays. Physically, each tile is 16 inches (408mm) wide x 12 inches (306mm) high with a shallow depth of only 10 inches (260mm), and requires just 2 inches (50mm) of clearance for rear ventilation, so they can be installed practically anywhere. You can find a number of videos highlighting different aspects of the MicroTiles technology here: http://microtiles.christiedigital.com/moreinformation?tab=video and www.microtiles.com
Advertise Me:	Please tell us a little about how MicroTiles started and what was the inspiration behind the business?
Christie:	Like all great inventions and revolutionary concepts in the business world, the idea for MicroTiles began with a rough sketch on a hotel napkin! MicroTiles inventors Bob Rushby, Mike Perkins and Larry Paul were sitting in a Tokyo hotel bar several years ago, when the idea first started to take shape. Dissatisfied with the trend of using conventional flatscreen panels for public displays, they started talking about how to integrate digital media directly into the built environment in new and exciting shapes and aspect ratios that would capture people’s attention and support the architectural design of the space. They thought to themselves: “Maybe we can turn the display technology into an integral design element instead of an afterthought …” And so, after much research, testing and customer feedback, MicroTiles were born.
Advertise Me:	How long did it take to develop the MicroTile technology and then market the product?
Christie:	From conception to final product, it took us about four years.
Advertise Me:	What are the benefits of using this technology over traditional screens?
Christie:	MicroTiles allow architects and designers to throw out the supposed rule book on how large-format display systems have to work in big spaces. With MicroTiles, they can now literally blend digital media into the built environment, and express their creativity and vision in ways that were previously impossible using conventional flat panel LCD, plasma and LED walls. Simple to setup and self-calibrating for brightness and color, you don’t need a lot of technical expertise to assemble or operate a display. Finally, MicroTiles offer more reliable and longer-lasting operation than traditional displays, and can be serviced in less than 15 minutes from the front by popping out the screen.
Advertise Me:	Which industries is MicroTile targeting? Is it just the digital signage industry?
Christie:	Christie MicroTiles are ideal for a wide range of demanding applications, including architecture, digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising, command and control, and event production. Those are just some of the markets approaching us with strong interest. Every day, our business partners are discovering new ways of using MicroTiles that were impossible or impractical with other technology.
Advertise Me:	Is there a limitation to the number of MicroTiles that can be used and the shape of the canvas?
Christie:	You can connect up to 1,024 tiles together to function as a single display. It is possible to build an even larger display, but each section of up to 1,024 tiles must be controlled and calibrated by a separate group of External Control Units (ECUs). The configuration of the “digital canvas” is limited only by your imagination and the physical limitations of the space.
Advertise Me:	Can the MicroTiles be used for outdoor purposes?
Christie:	MicroTiles should only be used outdoors if they are enclosed and protected from such conditions as extreme temperatures, high humidity, precipitation and sunlight. The brightness of MicroTiles is insufficient for direct sunlight applications.
Advertise Me:	Is the system limited to the type of video input it supports?
Christie:	Single-link DVI is the only input supported at this time.
Advertise Me:	What has been the most successful and popular MicroTile project thus far?
Christie:	MicroTiles was official launched on November 11, 2009 in North America, and already we have installed our first system for a high profile customer and have a backlog of orders for a wide variety of innovative applications; but unfortunately, none that we can reveal at the present time due to customer confidentiality. We can say, however, to stay tuned for some exciting announcements. A number of launches are scheduled throughout the Asia Pacific region in March, April and May of 2010. Visit our website for show and launch updates.
Advertise Me:	What is the MicroTiles Designer?
Christie:	MicroTiles Designer is a free software program provided by Christie that lets you quickly plan a MicroTiles display and see how it will look in your space. MicroTiles Designer will also tell you the energy consumption of the display, how much it will weigh, and the optimal way to wire the tiles together. A simplified online version, the MicroTiles Calculator, will give you a sense of the capabilities and application of Christie’s MicroTiles for your digital display requirements.
Advertise Me:	Do you have any advice for people who are planning to start a business in the digital signage industry?
Christie:	The digital signage industry is a rapidly evolving and exciting industry, so be prepared for a turbulent and exciting ride!
Advertise Me:	If someone is interested in this product, who would they contact and how much would it cost?
Christie:	The best way is to click on the MicroTiles website, www.microtiles.com and fill out our quick information form to have a sales representative in your area contact you, or to find out your nearest MicroTiles dealer.
Advertise Me:	This is our final question. What do you see as the next “BIG THING” in digital signage?
Christie:	Besides MicroTiles? Interactivity.
Advertise Me:	Christie, thanks for taking part in this interview and we hope to speak to you again in the near future. Hopefully, we’ll get the opportunity to see this technology being used in Australia.
Christie:	Thank you. We’re taking MicroTiles global, and will be launching them in the Asia-Pacific region in March, April and May this year. We invite your readers to come out to our events by registering on our website.

To read more interviews click here: http://www.digitalsignageblog.com/category/digital-signage-interview/

About Christie

Christie Digital Systems USA, Inc. is a global visual technologies company and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ushio, Inc., Japan, (JP:6925). Consistently setting the standards by being the first to market some of the world’s most advanced projectors and complete system displays, Christie is recognized as one of the most innovative visual technology companies in the world. From retail displays to Hollywood, mission critical command centers to classrooms and training simulators, Christie display solutions and projectors capture the attention of audiences around the world with dynamic and stunning images. Visit www.christiedigital.com and www.microtiles.com.

Christie® is a registered trademark of Christie Digital Systems USA, Inc.
Christie®MicroTiles™ is a trademark of Christie Digital Systems USA, Inc.

About Advertise Me:

Advertise Me is a privately owned Australian company specialising in all aspects of digital signage solutions.

Our team of highly skilled professionals is able to introduce innovative ways for businesses to communicate with their intended audiences for a variety of purposes including informing, educating, entertaining and selling.

You can expect us to:

offer the most affordable and cost effective solutions tailored to your specific business needs.
provide you with concise and accurate information and will ensure that you understand and are comfortable with our proposals.
strive to make our clients happy and successful.

We have partnered with a number of key reputable organisations and will continue to build further partnerships to deliver the most effective solutions for our customers.

Visit our website at www.advertiseme.com.au for more information.

© AdvertiseMe.com.au for Digital Signage Blog, 2010. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: advertise, Ambient Light, Christie, Christie Digital Systems, Color Palette, Conventional Lcd, Developing Sales, Digital Canvas, digital signage, Dlp Projection, Interviews, Key Industry, Light Emitting Diode, Light Environments, Market Opportunities, Marketing Strategies, Maximum Image, Plasma Displays, Product Lifecycle Management, Sales And Marketing, Shallow Depth, Systems Usa Inc, Target Audience

Digital Signage, Information Technology and the Audio Visual Industry

DigitalSignageBlog — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 05:00:56 +0000

advertise me has been in the digital signage industry since its infancy in Australia and we’ve experienced the convergence of the Information Technology and Audio Visual industry. Both are now becoming so dependent on each other that professionals in the IT industry are learning skills from the audio visual industry and vice versa.

What are the main reasons behind this and which industry does digital signage fit in?

In this particular post I will attempt to explore these areas and hopefully others can follow and join me with sharing their thoughts and ideas on this particular topic.

Let’s firstly look at the roles and responsibilities of both industries:

The IT industry

Generally speaking, when someone uses the term IT (Information Technology), the first thing that comes to their mind is computers – basically this is what the majority of digital signage players are (embedded computers, laptops, desktops, Macs etc). One thing that needs to be clarified is that IT encompasses much more than computers, it covers broader areas such as software development, desktop management, server management (Windows, Linux, Mac, etc), network infrastructure, security and helpdesk support. All of these areas form the basic foundation of the IT backbone and digital signage is one of those technologies which have a great dependency on the IT framework. The design, stability of the overall IT infrastructure needs to work in order for the digital signage network to also be reliable and efficient.

Let’s look at a few of these areas starting with Network infrastructure. The network infrastructure covers equipment such as Routers, Switchers and Firewalls which allows information to transverse between computers and devices. From my shallow understanding and for simplicity purposes, switches are used to connect Local Area Networks and routers are devices which connect Wide Area Networks together or allow connectivity to the Internet. In most cases, digital signage networks will span across multiple WANs and LANs and is used to monitor, manage and schedule content to disperse sites. Firewalls are used to prevent unauthorized access to the network. These devices have access control lists which define who can connect to the network and what they can connect to.

Here’s a quick example of a typical digital signage network:

One of the most critical factors for having an efficient network is speed and bandwidth between end to end devices. This means that when deploying your digital signage solution you must analyse the requirements and determine what the minimum speed your network must support. If you’re looking at streaming your high resolution content to the digital signage players from your head office, I would suggest that you subscribe to the fastest speed available in your country – obviously all this comes with a price but you can leverage this by using additional services like VoIP, CCTV, wireless hotspots etc. If you’re a techie, you may consider implementing Quality of Service on your network especially if you’re streaming your content. This will allow you to prioritise and reserve enough bandwidth on your network so there are no streaming delays.

Let’s move on and talk about the Software component. No matter which type of solution you’re using, you’re definitely going to use a piece of software that a company has developed. The programming language and technology used to develop this software will vary but what is common between all the digital signage software tools is the ability for someone to manage and schedule content. From experience, there are quite a number of software tools out in the market and when determining which piece of software is best suited to your requirements ask yourself these questions:

What operating system will I be using? (Windows XP, Windows Embedded, Linux, Mac OS)
What are the minimum hardware requirements? (Memory, CPU, Video Card)
What features do I need e.g ability to support RSS feeds, Live TV, streaming video, display websites etc?
How much budget do I have?
Is there a cost for additional support and maintenance?
What is the frequency of software patches?
Can I easily obtain support from the company?
How intuitive is the system?

When dealing with the software company, make sure that they are able to provide you with the necessary support in the event a bug is found. You don’t want to wait around for a year for the software company to resolve the issue.

Let’s keep moving forward and talk about the digital signage hardware -indeed these can range from computers to laptops or from small embedded devices to high end servers. The current trend that I’ve seen when using digital signage players is that they are becoming smaller and more environmentally friendly. Here’s another set of questions you should ask yourself before making that final purchasing decision:

What technical specs do I require in order to run the digital signage software? (Operating System, Hardware requirements)
What types of video ports do I need to connect to my screen? (e.g S-Video, VGA, DVI, HDMI, Composite, Component)
What screen resolution will I be outputting to the screen?
How long is the warranty and what does it cover?
Does the hardware need to be mounted behind the screens or are they going into a rack?

So there you have it, that’s a brief summary of the IT industry.

The Audio Visual Industry

This industry has been around longer than the IT industry. Since the early days of the black and white televisions, the industry has grown exponentially. This industry is all about what we see and what we hear – its about tweaking and refining two of our sense (visual and audio). The visual component has now evolved to also provide the viewer with a means to interact with the medium by using technology such as touch screens.

Typically, the audio equipment consists of speakers, audio input devices (CD player, audio from a DVD player, digital signage, mobile phones) and an AMP (to amplify the audio). When installing any audio system you should consider the following:

What will be the audio input device?
What are the speaker requirements? 1 or 2 channels?
How will the speakers be connected to the audio input device?
Is an amplifier required?
Is a zone control device required? (this is a device to switch audio to speakers located in different zones/areas).
What type of wiring will be used? Avoid installing power cabling, audio and network cabling together as this may introduce noise
Speaker layout – determine the best locations for installing speakers whether on the ceiling or against the wall

It is human nature to be attracted to beautiful and appealing images and the medium which presents these images must be able to leverage this requirement. There are various types of screen technologies in the current market and this includes, LCD, Plasma, LED, DID, projectors, touch screens and even steam. Generally the bigger the screens and the better the quality, the more expensive it gets. The only limitation we’ve come across is that the screen is only capable of display the resolution the player or connected device is outputting. This was talked about in a previous post called Screen Dilemma. When thinking about installing the screen, location is very important. We talked about this in previous post called Digital Signage: Location, Location, Location. Basically, the screen is more profitable when there are more people looking at the screen.

Before purchasing a display screen, you should consider the following:

What types of video connectors does the digital signage support and does the screen support this? (e.g S-Video, VGA, DVI, HDMI, Composite, Component)
What screen orientation do I need? (landscape or portrait)
What screen resolution will I be outputting from the player and will the screen support this? NOTE: We have noticed that some residential screens do not support some of the screen resolutions we needed.
What is the warranty period?
Do I require speakers? (Some commercial screens do not come with speakers)
Do I require the user to interact with the screen? (Touchscreen, sensors)
Do I require power management features?
Will the screen be installed in outdoor or indoor purposes?
Will I need enclosures to protect the screen?

Avoid using residential screens and purchase commercial grade screens as these are designed for retail and commercial environments.

There are probably more points to consider and I look forward to hearing from all the visual and audio experts out there.

Digital Content

The majority of content that is produced will be created and edited by a computer. Also the application used to create or edit the content must have been developed by a computer to digitise the little bits (1’s and 0’s). In this day and age, everything is heading toward the digital world. Images, audio and video are now all in a digital format and this makes it easy for the content to be used for any digital signage installation. Having grown and seen these technological changes has been amazing. I still recall the days when scanners were first introduced in the market, and converting an image or document to a digital format was like pulling a rabbit out a hat – it was magic. And now, digital signage is riding this wave. The benefits of using digital signage are obvious and when the content can be easily supplied, created and moved across to different mediums.

There are several common tools used in the industry to create the digital content and these are:

ASV4You – very affordable and easy to use tools for video, audio and image editing and for converting to different formats. We’ve actually used this software for most of our video and image editing.
“Register once and work with AVS4YOU Package which includes 28 audio& video software. AVS4YOU Software are designed to meet your most various tasks: Convert between all key audio and video formats; Rip DVDs and videos; Edit home video and audio quickly; Apply effects, text and transitions to video and audio; Create video-DVDs with menus; Burn DVD/CD/Blu Ray; Copy videos to portables like iPod, iPhone, PSP, Zen, PS3, Xbox, Archos, phones, DVD/MPEG-4 players and portable media playes. All key video and audio formats are supported: HD Video (inc. AVCHD, MPEG-2 HD and WMV-HD), TOD, MOD, M2TS, AVI (DivX, XviD, etc.), MP4 (inc. Sony PSP and Apple iPod), WMV, 3GP, QuickTime (MOV, QT), SWF, DVD, VOB, VRO, MPEG 1, 2, 4, H.263, H.264, Real Video, DVR-MS, MKV, FLV; MP3, WAV, WMA, OGG, AAC, Vorbis, MP2, VOX, AAC, M4A, AMR and others. Subscribe to AVS4YOU Package for $59/lifetime and get All-In-One Software Bundle.”
It’s actually very affordable and they currently having a special on the Unlimited Subscription which you’ll be entitled to install all of their software package. Awesome bargain- order the Unlimited Subscription here: AVS4You Software

Adobe Flash – create fancy animations
Adobe Photoshop – create professional images
3D Max – create 3D animations
Adobe Premier – used for video editing and productions

There’s quite a number of image and video editing application on the market and there are also some which may be open source as well – so before spending your hard earn dollars, I would recommend you test the open source applications first.

Project management

Both of these industries require the professional to be skilled in project management. To ensure the successful completion of either an IT or Audio Visual project, there are several tasks that is required from the professional. One of them is to have strong communication and writing skills but most importantly is being able to plan and assign tasks to your relevant resources. If the install is not planned correctly, it could potentially lead to scope creep.

Digital Signage

So after all that, which category should or does Digital Signage fall under… actually the way I see it, it covers both the IT and AV Industry. I don’t believe there is clear answer to this question but I’m more than happy to listen to your comments and maybe there is an answer out there.

The digital signage industry is a cut throat industry and people getting into the industry needs to be aware of all the areas that were covered above. Because of the scope and complexity of the digital signage industry, it is often best to partner with reliable and professional businesses – this is crucial if you want your business to survive and succeed. Good luck to those who are just starting out in this industry.

© AdvertiseMe.com.au for Digital Signage Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments |
Post tags: Audio Visual Equipment, Backbone, Basic Foundation, Convergence, Convergence Technology, Desktop Management, Development Desktop, digital signage network, digital signage networks, Etc Network, Firewalls, Infancy, Information technology, Information Technology Network, Infrastructure Security, Local Area Networks, Management Server, Network Infrastructure, Roles And Responsibilities, Server Management, Signage Industry, Simplicity, Software Development, Switchers, Thoughts And Ideas, Transverse, Wide Area Networks

Klips: Share your digital signage snap!

Danny Hsueh — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:00:49 +0000

Here we would like to introduce a new section called Klips. This allows anybody anywhere in the world to share their digital signage moment with the rest of our readers.

If you would like to share your digital signage snap with us and the digital signage community, please send in your klips to info@digitalsignageblog.com with a brief of your snap, including location where it was taken, your name and/or business name.

At the end of each week we will select a few interesting klips and post them here. So keep an eye out, and get snapping!

Note: All image submissions to this blog will enter the agreement that the submitter will be held responsible for their images. DigitalSignageBlog.com will not bear any responsibility to any harm or damages the images may cause.

Taken by Danny from Advertise Me in the wee hours of the morning at Sydney Airport Domestic Terminal T2 on his way to Adelaide.
Spot the number of errors in this digital signage.

© AdvertiseMe.com.au for Digital Signage Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 4 comments |
Post tags: blog, Business Name, Caption, Damages, Digital Id, digital signage, domestic terminal, Image Submissions, Images, klip, Photo, Snap, Submitter, Sydney Airport, T2, Wee Hours

Weekend Fun: Digital Signage and the Audi A4 Convertible

DigitalSignageBlog — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:43:27 +0000

This week we had the opportunity to drive the Audi A4 convertible and we realised how most luxury cars or new model cars will have LCD screens. These are the perfect opportunities to utilise these screens for digital signage and I wonder how many car manufacturing companies are actually thinking about this.

As you can tell from the picture, the Audi has a reasonable sized build-in LCD screen and is primarily used for GPS and as a menu system for radio/CD/TV but I strongly believe it can be also used for digital signage.

Does anyone know of any stock cars which are using digital signage?

Feel free to submit your answer as a comment.

© AdvertiseMe.com.au for Digital Signage Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 6 comments |
Post tags: Audi, Audi A4, Audi Convertible, Dashboard, Digital Id, digital signage, Fun, GPS, lcd screen, lcd screens, Luxury Cars, Manufacturing Companies, Menu System, Model Cars, New Model, Opportunity, Radio Cd, Realised, Stock Cars

Weekend Fun: Blackberry Desktop Manager V5.0.1 – IP modem

DigitalSignageBlog — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:35:25 +0000

What a fun weekend!! Just recently RIM released the desktop manager v5.0.1 which introduces the feature to EASILY setup the Blackberry as an IP modem (tethered modem) and I’ve been using this all weekend.

Now, all you have to do is click on several buttons and you’ll be connected to the Internet via the Blackberry Desktop Manager – you just have to make sure your blackberry is connected to your laptop or pc. Great stuff guys! Here’s some screenshots:

© AdvertiseMe.com.au for Digital Signage Blog, 2009. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: Blackberry Desktop Manager, Fun, Great Stuff, Laptop, Modem, Modem Window, rim, Tethered Modem, Window Caption

Screen Dilemma: Native vs Maximum resolution

Danny Hsueh — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 03:00:25 +0000

This seems to be a common dilemma amongst a number of LCD/Plasma decisions in a lot of tender projects and client requirements. Do clients really know what they are asking for, and how important is screen resolution for digital signage rollouts?

Let’s clear a few things up first.

What is Native and Maximum resolution?

Native resolution is the fixed number of pixels on the screen. For example, if your screen has a native resolution of 1280×720 pixels, this means your screen is physically made up of 1280 pixels wide and 720 pixels high.

Maximum resolution is the highest resolution that the screen is capbable to display.

Conversion and Scaling

When an incoming signal to the screen does not match the native resolution, that signal must be converted (or scaled) to be displayed correctly on the screen. So lets use the same screen above, it has a native resolution of 1280×720. If an incoming signal is 1920×1080, the screen will scale this resolution down so that it can fit on the physical dimensions of 1280×720. Likewise if an incoming signal is 1024×768, then the screen will up-scale this resolution to fit 1280×720.

This process is possible because the screen has been programmed to recognise different input signals and to convert them as such. More often than not you will have a list of all the supported input signal resolution sizes, and the highest supported resolution is your Maximum resolution.

Now that we have that out of the way, lets talk about how important is screen resolution in digital signage?

In all my digital signage years until now, I have not had to focus on optimising the quality of the display in regards to picture sharpness and contrast ratio. The general technology of the Plasma/LCD screen makes up for this. What comes out of the digital signage player is just right for the display quality. The general conversation would be on how to most effectively capture consumers attention with the type of content and how it is designed.

However recently in Australia, digital broadcasting of TV networks have become more prominent and consumers are now well aware of terms like HDTV. This presence of high definition television has entered many homes and now the retail store fronts want to show this off also. Because consumers are already aware of such technology, there is an expectation on store owners to provide this service to them.

The question comes back to client requirements. Do most clients have the proper knowledge to determine what screens they want based on what they know or what they have been told? Is it important to match the right resolution of what is coming from the digital receiver into the digital signage player, and out to the screen?

We’d like to hear your point of view on this topic. There is no right or wrong answer, as each requirements are different, but we would like to hear your thoughts.

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Post tags: Consumers, Contrast Ratio, Conversion, Decisions, Designers, digital signage, digital signage player, Dilemma, Fit, General Technology, Incoming Signal, Input Signal, Input Signals, Large Scale, lcd screen, marketing, Match, Maximum Resolution, Native Resolution, Physical Dimensions, pixels, plasma, Plasma Lcd, plasma screen, Screen Resolution, screens, Sharpness, Signal Resolution

Advertise Me Interviews Concerto Digital Signage

Danny Hsueh — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 04:30:29 +0000

advertise me:	Hi Brian, thanks for joining us for this interview. We’re quite excited to speak to someone such as yourself about Open Source applications for digital signage.
Brian:	Thanks for interviewing me! We built Concerto as students at one of America’s great tech universities because it addressed an unmet need that we saw on our campus, and we didn’t expect when we initiated the project to see it become a topic of interest for people all over the world.

Advertise Me:	Let’s start with the basics – could you please explain what Open Source is, and is it really free?
Brian:	Sure. Open source software is free for anyone to obtain and use, as well as modify – provided that they make their modifications open-source as well.

Advertise Me:	Thank you for clearing that up. So let’s talk about your Open Source application for Digital Signage called Concerto. How did you come up with that name and what is it exactly?
Brian:	First things first: Concerto is a free digital signage platform for sharing flyers, alerts, and other messages with other people by showing them on flat panel televisions and other types of screens. It’s a broadcast medium that makes it simple to make a flyer and get it out to many people quickly, but it also allows screens to show a custom mix of messages based on predefined preferences. The name Concerto pertains to this key function. A musical concerto emphasizes one musical instrument amidst an entire orchestra, and with our digital signage product, users can emphasize one type of message amidst an entire orchestra of different types of advertising. For example, at we launched Concerto at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI for short). At RPI, the management school has a big screen with a special zone for graphical messages. With Concerto, they just specify the types of advertisements they want to highlight, and which types they wish to exclude. So messages about management lectures might be shuffled in more frequently than student entertainment flyers and sports notices. In this way, the management school can tailor their Concerto display for the audience they hope to attract without impacting how others on campus use Concerto.

Advertise Me:	Out of curiosity, how did the Concerto concept and idea start?
Brian:	We started Concerto with a purpose: to improve communication within our campus community. There were already ways to tell the RPI campus community about events and other happenings before Concerto: student groups, academic departments, or individuals could print out and tape up a lot of flyers, or even put their messages on the campus cable television system. It took a lot of time and money to print out and put up lots of paper signage. The cable television system was managed by a very small group of people who had many other responsibilities aside from approving messages for cable. More importantly, that system was designed with a bureaucratic, almost corporate mindset in mind, one meant to keep control of the network regulated to only the smallest group of elite users. So we designed Concerto from the ground up to be accessible to every computer user at our school. Now we have students, staff, and faculty working together to help maintain the network. It really gives people a reason to pay attention to Concerto – they become a part of campus communication, instead of just being forced to see it.

Advertise Me:	Why should someone use Concerto and what are some of the benefits?
Brian:	Members of any community where events and information are often overlooked should find Concerto’s unique design to be particularly attractive. We designed Concerto first for colleges and universities, but its benefits can extend to any community looking to spread and share messages about events and other activities. Here are some core benefits of using Concerto: Concerto allows one type of message to be highlighted amongst a huge pool of different messages. Messages are organized into categories called feeds, which can be mixed and matched differently on each separate Concerto display to cater to distinct locations and audiences. Because Concerto lives on the World Wide Web, any device that can be connected to the Internet can potentially display Concerto. That means that flat panel televisions, mobile phones, personal screensavers, and other websites can all serve as hosts for your announcements. The software is fully open source, so you can use and deploy it for free. With Concerto’s flexible architecture, many different organizations (with different budgets) can help grow your Concerto network.

Advertise Me:	Since the application is free, are businesses permitted to resell this product to their clients?
Brian:	Under the terms of our license, the GNU Public License (v2), our software may be resold. But this distinction is key: no company can restrict the rights associated with a copy of Concerto by denying their users access to the source code. I’ll also add that if you make a modification to our source code, you must give back those changes to the larger community. Companies may provide for-pay support and consultation packages to get our software up and running for others, but the source code must always remain free to everyone.

Advertise Me:	Can Concerto be classified as a Software as a Service (SaaS)?
Brian:	I guess it could be considered SaaS, but that’s not how we think most people will use it. We have our Concerto server software running on a powerful machine at RPI that serves out the content for all of the client machines across our Troy, New York campus. This server could theoretically be located somewhere off-campus, in which case every client unit would receive content over the Web. But for most administrators who wish to launch a Concerto network at a school, in a town, or elsewhere, it probably makes the most sense to locate that server somewhere nearby. I should also mention that most users of Concerto are everyday people who just want to find and share messages of interest – since they just visit Concerto in a Web browser and never see its nuts and bolts, it looks like a service that could be hosted many miles away from them.

Advertise Me:	Could you please briefly explain what would be involved (hardware & software) in setting up a digital signage solution using Concerto?
Brian:	Concerto is designed from the ground up to work perfectly with inexpensive, commodity hardware that anyone can purchase from websites such as Newegg.com. There’s a central server, as I already described, which is simply a computer that stores content and distributes it to each Concerto screen. The first step to deploy Concerto is to download our software at http://www.concerto-signage.com and install it on the computer that will act as the content server. Once that’s set up, you’ll need some other computers to drive the different displays on your fledgling Concerto network. The system requirements for these units are much lower – we’ve been successful with $500 small form factor computers that have 2 GB of RAM, Intel Celeron M CPU, Ethernet connection, CompactFlash card, and DVI connection that can then be adapted for HDMI output to flat panel televisions. These client units use the Concerto player software, which can be run as a live CD or installed directly to a storage device such as a hard drive or memory card. They must be able to connect to your network and receive power. Then each one of those computers will drive the front end Concerto display on everything from a 19-inch computer monitor to a massive 108-inch flat panel television. The display hardware is completely up to you, as long as it can receive display input from a DVI or VGA port (which can be done using an adapter). For more information about how to deploy Concerto, please see the page at http://www.concerto-signage.com/view/deploy.

Advertise Me:	How long has it taken to develop the Concerto framework and application?
Brian:	We started to develop Concerto in October 2007, and launched it in March of 2008. We were all students at the time in our undergraduate studies at RPI. Since our RPI launch in March 2008, we’ve updated the core software over ten times, adding new features and addressing bugs in response to feedback from our more than 1,000 RPI-based users.

Advertise Me:	What makes Concerto so different from all the other Open Source applications in the market?
Brian:	Concerto first sets itself apart from many more traditional digital signage networks by being completely based on the World Wide Web. Older signage platforms were often based on coaxial cable lines. Concerto runs over standard Ethernet cable and wireless Internet, which makes it far more versatile for many places that now have more Internet jacks than coaxial hook-ups. More importantly, Concerto displays can show content that is completely specific to a location and/or audience. Finally, Concerto is designed from the ground up to encourage hundreds or potentially thousands of users to get involved in the process of sharing messages about events and other information.

Advertise Me:	What has been the most successful Concerto project thus far?
Brian:	Our first and most successful network is still at RPI, but we just released the source code under our public open source license in July, so we are also working with several groups from around America to launch Concerto in their own communities. While I can’t talk specifics yet, we’ve received inquiries from companies, libraries, and other universities.

Advertise Me:	Do you have any advice for people who are planning to start a business in the digital signage industry?
Brian:	I would suggest that the digital signage space is ready for some new ideas. Digital signage software has traditionally been proprietary and expensive. Concerto is a free alternative that provides, for the most part, the core digital signage package. In order for future companies to be successful in this space, I think they need to do more than continue to provide the same types of products and services that we can now give away for free. The bar needs to be raised, with offerings that provide an even greater value proposition than before.

Advertise Me:	Are there any plans to monetize Concerto? How are you guys going to make money, or is this a hidden secret?
Brian:	Concerto started as a volunteer project, and we decided early in the game that we would not attempt to monetize the software itself. We have no hidden agendas or secrets when it comes to that. While some of our team may consider becoming digital signage consultants in the future, we will never charge for the code.

Advertise Me:	This is our final question that we normally ask all of the people we interview. What do you see as the next “BIG THING” in digital signage?
Brian:	We have built a platform with Concerto to enable the core features and functionality of what I like to call a “twentieth century digital signage platform.” People can buy inexpensive commodity computer hardware, connect them to small or large monitors or television displays, and build a Web-based communication network in virtually any place where there’s easy access to an Internet connection. It’s a framework of functionality that nobody has to build anymore. Instead, they can focus on what they can add to Concerto to make digital signage more effective for new audiences. Nowadays, people are looking for new ways to interact with the information that’s being spread around the world. Social networking really put the focus back on the end user, and we feel that digital signage can be made more effective by providing more ways for users to interact with the advertising they see. One of the ideas that we’re exploring with Concerto is how we can allow direct user interaction with digital signage. As the first and simplest way of enabling this kind of exchange, we’re adding pause and rewind buttons to our screens that will allow people to stop on specific messages and roll back to what they may have missed earlier. But what I think we’re really aiming to build is a full-blown kiosk mode that gives users new abilities to find out more about specific messages and other location-based information relevant to the Concerto display and its location. For example, let’s say that I’m looking at messages playing on a Concerto screen in the lobby of a hospital. When I move close to the screen, a web cam detects my presence and the display changes to show a smaller version of the same advertisements, as well as a building map and other hospital information. I think that a new and greater push for designing experiences that combine advertising with interaction can help us to create a new type of digital signage.

Advertise Me:	Brian, thanks for taking part in this interview and we hope to speak to you again in the near future. Good luck with the Concerto project and we wish you all the best.

To read more interviews click here: http://www.digitalsignageblog.com/category/digital-signage-interview/

About Concerto:

Concerto is a free, Web-based broadcast medium for digital announcements that just works. Using Concerto, it’s easy to engage large communities of people with graphical and text-based flyers, alerts, and other messages. The open source project was initiated by undergraduate students at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2008. The code can be downloaded for free at http://www.concerto-signage.com. The Concerto Project is open to developers from around the world and aims to provide a free platform for digital signage today and in the future.

Credit: Kris Qua/RPI

About Advertise Me:

Advertise Me is a privately owned Australian company specialising in all aspects of digital signage solutions.

You can expect us to:

offer the most affordable and cost effective solutions tailored to your specific business needs.
provide you with concise and accurate information and will ensure that you understand and are comfortable with our proposals.
strive to make our clients happy and successful.

We have partnered with a number of key reputable organisations and will continue to build further partnerships to deliver the most effective solutions for our customers.

Visit our website at www.advertiseme.com.au for more information.

© AdvertiseMe.com.au for Digital Signage Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 2 comments |
Post tags: advertise, Advertisements, Broadcast Medium, Concerto, digital signage, Flat Panel Televisions, Flyers, Interviews, Management Lectures, Management School, Musical Instrument, Open Source Application, Open Source Applications, Open Source Software, Predefined, Product Users, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Rpi, screens, Special Zone, Universities, Unmet Need

Advertise Me interviews Blue Pony

DigitalSignageBlog — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:30:39 +0000

advertise me:	Hi Nathan, thanks for joining us for this interview.
Nathan:	No problem we appreciate the opportunity for conversation.
Advertise Me:	Could you please tell us a little bit about Blue Pony, and it’s history?
Nathan:	Blue Pony emerged in July of 2004 as a custom content creation company. We were formed by the owners Joel and Keersten Nichols. Joel and Keersten recognized the digital trend and the industries forming and embracing new technologies. We started creating content for the entertainment industry for concert tours. Our content has been used on tour with Sara McLachlan, Poison, the Eagles, in the Movies with Alvin and the Chimpmunks, and on TV with American Idol and America’s Got Talent. Along the way we found a natural fit creating great content for other industries. We felt especially at home with the growing digital signage Industries. We feel quality content is a need across all industries utilizing visual media.
Advertise Me:	I really like the Blue Pony Logo, how did the company come up with that name and the inspiration for the logo animation?
Nathan:	Thanks, we get a lot of compliments on it. Our sister company, Apollo Design Technology, makes lighting accessories like gobos, gobo rotators, gel, and more for the lighting entertainment industry. Our owners named Apollo after their beloved horse they received companionship from for 23 years. Unfortunately, Apollo passed away last spring. It seemed natural to build the new company sporting the name, Blue Pony.
Advertise Me:	In the digital signage industry, the term “Content is king” can sometimes be misinterpreted. What is your explanation for this statement?
Nathan:	I look at it this way. You can have the greatest technology to playback, display, schedule, and report with but at the end of the day the content playing back is what counts the most. There are certainly other variables that must align to add to success like location and placement, but effective well designed content is crucial. If the content is not effective the viewer won’t be engaged. If the viewer is not engaged by the content it is not an effective advertisement. Ineffective advertising is not likely to be renewed by the advertiser.
Advertise Me:	Thank you for that explanation. Now ,what type of content does Blue Pony supply and what is so different about the content Blue Pony supplies?
Nathan:	Great looking, well designed content is a great first step. What makes it kingly is matching it to the demographic (matching the style and material to the right group), dwell time requirements (what are the conditions of the environment? How much time do we have to communicate the message?), and environment (Making sure the content looks and feels at home and not odd and awkward). We create custom tailored content with an efficient and effective design process. Our design staff is experienced with Digital Signage ads and they have developed a thorough understanding on how to create effective signage content. We believe firmly that unique, custom content is important that is why even our “stock content” offering has a custom aspect.
Advertise Me:	What is the difference between stock and custom content?
Nathan:	In addition to a completely custom content option we have a content line in development called, Quick Designs. A Quick Design is a base design created by our design staff. The animation can be chosen as a spring board for design and we can plug in logos, images, and different text call-outs. We can even make color changes too. When you choose a Quick Design, one of our skilled designers will ensure your completed ad will look great. We feel it is better than a “template” that inevitably doesn’t quite work for whatever reason. Plus a template will likely look just like the one the other guy bought. We also have a line called Dash Packs and regular stock background loops. Some of our Dash Packs are themed filler material for your network. Holiday greetings and celebrity birthdays are some that we have offered. http://digitalsignage.bluepony.com/content-options/dash-packs/ We never stop creating content, whenever we have time we work on new motion backgrounds to add to our online web library of stock content. Stock background loops are used across many industries. They are affordable and can be combined with other elements to create unique looks. http://www.bluepony.com/shop/
Advertise Me:	How does the company source content material, e.g images, video footage etc?
Nathan:	Many times the material is supplied by the customer. They may provide a logo or product images. Because we have an in-house production company we are able to acquire our own stock video and photography. Furthermore, we have access to many royalty free image sources for use in our content.
Advertise Me:	In this digital age, content can be easily sourced from the net and some businesses and customers don’t realise that they are breaching copyright laws when using someone else’s content. What are your thoughts on this and does Blue Pony track where their content ends up?
Nathan:	We can’t stop it no matter how fancy we make the code. However, we are protective of our clients’ content and not every ad we produce makes it to our website. The entire process of ad development happens securely within our client preview portal. Everything is secure and access is only granted to the necessary individuals. In addition we offer our customers free mock content that we have developed. We learned quickly that most digital signage networks just need something to show their first clients by way of example until we build up a content portfolio that they can use for future sales.
Advertise Me:	Could you please briefly explain what steps and processes are involved when developing content.
Nathan:	I’d tell you but then I’d have to… No problem. We use all the usual software one would come to expect from a video, motion graphic design house. The differences are that we invest in the top of the line workstations that render video files pretty quick. We stay up to date with costly plug-ins, new fonts, and equip our production team with the best tools for content creation. That being said the process in brief goes like this. You contact us for content, we ask a few questions about your requirements or have you complete our content request form. The form gathers the details we need to determine a price to develop your content. We then generate an estimate and send it to you for approval. Upon approval of the estimate we schedule your content for production and email you a link to the project directory we create. This directory is where you can upload assets for production and it is also where our designer will place a preview for you to review your content. You would receive a link to review the content and would be able to provide feedback directly within the content timeline on the preview page. We implement any revisions you request and seek approval on the content. Upon approval we prepare the output file exactly to your specifications. You then can download your final content directly from the project directory. And repeat!
Advertise Me:	From past experience, how long should the content be displayed on the screens for?
Nathan:	It really depends. Site research might reveal the average frequency of visitors. If they see it once or twice that’s great. But if they have already processed the information and see it too many times they will tune it out and ultimately ignore the screen altogether. Two Weeks would be a sweet spot, in my opinion, but it does depend on the venue.
Advertise Me:	What makes Blue Pony so different from all the other content providers?
Nathan:	Experience, Customer Service, Quality, and Value. Customer Satisfaction is really important to us. When you engage Blue Pony you don’t just get a designer, you get an entire team of professionals who understand your business technology and goals. We realize without our customers success we will not succeed.
Advertise Me:	What has been the most successful and challenging content developed thus far?
Nathan:	Interesting. Hmm, well it is all challenging to determine how to best develop the next piece, but that’s the fun in it. Success? I hope the majority of our ads have had a shining moment but we rarely get to hear of there stardom. We seek feedback for our clients and get it from time to time. Bust most of the time we are like the auto repair shop and only hear from the customer when a new set of tires are needed.
Advertise Me:	Are you able to share some general pricing information with our audience?
Nathan:	Sure. Generally speaking all of our ad pricing is based on a rate of $135 per hour. That only is helpful to know if you have the other variable…How much time? On average a standard 20 second motion ad will cost $350. A premium ad of the same duration might average out at $500. What’s the difference between Standard and Premium? Purely time. If a premium budget is specified by the client we give our designer more development time which in turn translates to a more refined or sophisticated content piece.
Advertise Me:	This is our final question that we normally ask all of the people we interview. What do you see as the next “BIG THING” in digital signage?
Nathan:	Interactive signage and deeper integration to the personal technologies people carry, like cell phones, ipods, ect.
Advertise Me:	Nathan, thanks for taking part in this interview and we hope to speak to you again in the near future.

To read more interviews click here: http://www.digitalsignageblog.com/category/digital-signage-interview/

About Blue Pony?

Blue Pony is a premier digital content provider for limitless applications who produces custom as well as stock content.

About Advertise Me:

Advertise Me is a privately owned Australian company specialising in all aspects of digital signage solutions.

You can expect us to:

offer the most affordable and cost effective solutions tailored to your specific business needs.
provide you with concise and accurate information and will ensure that you understand and are comfortable with our proposals.
strive to make our clients happy and successful.

We have partnered with a number of key reputable organisations and will continue to build further partnerships to deliver the most effective solutions for our customers.

Visit our website at www.advertiseme.com.au for more information.

© AdvertiseMe.com.au for Digital Signage Blog, 2009. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: advertise, Alvin And The Chimpmunks, America S Got Talent, American Idol, Apollo Design, Beloved Horse, Blue Pony, Content Creation Company, Custom Content, digital signage, Digital Trend, Gobo, Greatest Technology, Interviews, Lighting Accessories, Lighting Entertainment, Logo Animation, Natural Fit, Sara Mclachlan, Signage Industries, Signage Industry, Sister Company

Advertise Me promo for digital signage by Blue Pony

DigitalSignageBlog — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 11:55:24 +0000

Today we are officially releasing the advertise me promo for digital signage. This short clip was professionally designed and developed by Blue Pony and showcases our main digital signage website (http://www.advertiseme.com.au), the digital signage blog (http://www.digitalsignageblog.com) and the digital signage portal (http://www.digitalsignageportal.com). So here it is, (if you have the bandwidth watch it in HD):

Who is Blue Pony?

Blue Pony is a premier digital content provider for limitless applications who produces custom as well as stock content.

So what do you think about this video promotion?

Feel free to submit your answer as a comment.

© AdvertiseMe.com.au for Digital Signage Blog, 2009. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: advertise, Bandwidth, blog, Blue Pony, Digital Content Provider, digital signage, Hd, Limitless Applications, portal, Showcases, Stock, Video Promotion

“Video in Print” Player

Danny Hsueh — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 04:03:14 +0000

American television network CBS has embedded a digital video player in a print ad in the Entertainment Weekly magazine issue for release next month.

The content of the video is a co-branded campaign between CBS and PepsiCo playing the network’s broadcast show line-up together with a Pepsi Max promotion. It operates by opening the page to activate the player coupled with audio to enhance the experience.

More information can be read at:
http://adage.com/brightcove/lineup.php?lineup=1266084202
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/08/cbs-embeds-a-video-playing-ad-in-a-print-magazine/
http://itvt.com/story/5468/cbs-place-interactive-video-player-entertainment-weekly-print-advertising-spread

This brings a whole new gateway of executing marketing messages being delivered to consumers. Imagine watching a trailer to the next big blockbuster.

Whether or not this new concept will trigger a wave of digital mediums within print, I will surely keep my eyes open to see what the response will be like. The technology does come at a price and somebody has to pay for it, and the results are yet to be tested.

How will this be accepted amongst the wide audience?
Having that “wow” factor for the reader/viewer, or throwing those irritating stares at the person sitting next to you on the bus/train or at a library who is watching a video out of a magazine while you are trying to finish off the next few chapters of your favourite novel.

Feel free to continue this discussion at the digital signage portal forums, or post a comment on it here.

Thanks to Travis from Blue Pony for this lead.

© AdvertiseMe.com.au for Digital Signage Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 6 comments |
Post tags: American Television Network, Blockbuster, Cbs, Digital Mediums, digital signage, Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment Weekly Magazine, Interactive Video, Pepsi, Pepsi Max, Pepsico, Print Advertising, video in print, Video Player

Advertise Me Interviews Ronni CEO of Minicom Digital Signage

DigitalSignageBlog — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 04:00:52 +0000

Many of us in the digital signage industry have in one way or another read their blog, heard or even used one of their products – I’m referring to no other than Minicom.

This week we had the opportunity to turn the tables around and interview Ronni, the CEO of the Minicom Digital Signage Division:

advertise me:	Hi ronni, thanks for joining us for this interview – I know you’re a hard man to catch with your busy schedule.
Ronni:	Thank you for having me. Yes, it has been a very busy first half year.
Advertise Me:	I thought we’d start something different today and want to firstly ask you what’s your “elevator pitch” when meeting new or potential clients (our readers)?
Ronni:	Minicom Digital Signage is an established and recognized pioneer in the digital signage market, hence, we believe and are trusted that we know the market, the application and the needs. Our solutions control, extend and distribute multimedia and communication between the players and screens, making sure the message gets across… Our solutions reduce TCO and ease the DS deployments by providing the platform for in-site content distribution based on innovative technology.
Advertise Me:	Please tell us a little about how Minicom Digital Signage started with Digital Signage, and what was the inspiration behind the business?
Ronni:	Minicom Digital Signage has been a leading vendor for control and communication solutions in the computerized classrooms. Roughly ten years ago, we discovered that some of our integrators had been using the educational solutions to extend and distribute video signals in digital signage applications. This was during the days when you typed “digital signage” in Google, Google returned large format plotter printers. This is how we entered this market and swiftly recognized that we stepped into a major development, if not to say even advertising revolution. Since then we have been totally focused on the digital signage application, without looking left or right, resulting in a high degree of expertise. Other vendors come from the Pro-AV field, hence are more generalists and as a result of this they provide less focused solutions, answering the specific digital signage needs.
Advertise Me:	Over the years, Minicom Digital Signage has proven to be a strong provider and leader of Digital Signage products, so what makes Minicom Digital Signage so successful?
Ronni:	Once again: focus. Whoever turns to us, knows that we have accrued a decade of experience. We talk to all participants in the value chain on a daily level and maintain outstanding partnerships with most of the players in any layer of the market. We have recognized that the installers play an important role and consider the network owners as the effective endusers.
Advertise Me:	There is now a trend of increasing Digital Signage solutions using Software as a Service (SaaS). What is your opinion on this?
Ronni:	I believe it is part of the effort of the players in the market to find a suitable, competitive business model while maintaining an ongoing revenue stream. The digital signage market is project based, so for technology providers there is the challenge of captivating customers over a longer period of time. SaaS can be a win-win solution: at the one hand it dramatically reduces the capital expenditures for the network owners, at the other hand it provides the software vendors an ongoing, constant flow of income. I do believe that the model will further evolve and at the end of the day the industry will be more service driven.
Advertise Me:	Quite a number of companies, including Minicom Digital Signage, are now starting to integrate their solutions with environmentally friendly plans. Can you elaborate on how Minicom Digital Signage is playing their part for a greener world?
Ronni:	Our solutions reduce by their nature electricity consumption. With our architecture there is no need for a PC next to each screen. You may backrack all of the players in a single, secured room and dramatically reduce the number of PCs required since several displays can be fed from the same player. Furthermore, with our management platform, we allow all displays to be switched off when the shop closes. Besides, our technology is agnostic to the display, PC and SW vendors, hence, when upgrading a system, it doesn’t need to be swapped out.
Advertise Me:	What has been the most successful and popular Minicom Digital Signage product?
Ronni:	The DS Vision 3000 series has been a breakthrough in the market. Not only it carries full HD (1080p) signals as far as 600m and more, but it offers a built-in management platform, allowing to access and manage the display’s management port.
Advertise Me:	Do you have any advice for people who are planning to start a business in the digital signage industry?
Ronni:	There are lots of experienced and less experienced persons attracted by the positive vibrations coming from our market. Obviously, the lesser educated ones will not only burn themselves, but their customers will also suffer. It happens too often that a customer comes to us, asking us to it right after he had one-two failures before. So the bottom line for newcomers is to really understand the application, from content to measuring. There is no quick money in this market and competition is getting more intense. In any event, partnering with more experienced, established companies will always be an added value and accelerate the entry.
Advertise Me:	What is the Minicom Digital Signage Certified Reseller program and why should businesses partner with Minicom Digital Signage?
Ronni:	As mentioned, we invest a lot of attention and money into our long year old partnerships. Many of them have originated from the partner program. Networking is an important aspect in the market as we need each other in projects. Minicom Digital Signage, being a pioneer in the market, has a lot of legacy value to offer and with the partner program we provide access to these assets.
Advertise Me:	This is our final question. What do you see as the next “BIG THING” in digital signage?
Ronni:	I am not a prophet and we are driven by evolution, rather than revolution. So by nature it is hard to answer this question. However, we do observe an increasing engagement by more important players from the traditional advertising and OOH markets in the digital signage playground. This will ultimately change the rules of the game and lead to major consolidations.
Advertise Me:	Ronni, thanks for taking part in this interview and we hope to speak to you again in the near future.
Ronni:	Thank you very much. It has been my pleasure and honor.

To read more interviews click here: http://www.digitalsignageblog.com/category/digital-signage-interview/

About Minicom

World leader in “last mile” connectivity – Flawless transmission of audio, video and serial signals has enabled Minicom Digital Signage to become the leader in the production of advanced multimedia distribution and extension solutions for the digital signage marketplace. The digital signage industry has come to rely on Minicom‘s CAT5 and optical fiber-based hardware systems to deliver high resolution, high performance multimedia content. Today over 50% of all “last mile” deployments worldwide depend on Minicom technology.

To read more interviews click here: http://www.digitalsignageblog.com/category/digital-signage-interview/

About Advertise Me:

Advertise Me is a privately owned Australian company specialising in all aspects of digital signage solutions.

You can expect us to:

offer the most affordable and cost effective solutions tailored to your specific business needs.
provide you with concise and accurate information and will ensure that you understand and are comfortable with our proposals.
strive to make our clients happy and successful.

We have partnered with a number of key reputable organisations and will continue to build further partnerships to deliver the most effective solutions for our customers.

Visit our website at www.advertiseme.com.au for more information.

© AdvertiseMe.com.au for Digital Signage Blog, 2009. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: Busy Schedule, Caption, Ceo, Communication Solutions, Content Distribution, digital signage, ds vision, Educational Solutions, Elevator Pitch, environmentally friendly, Format Plotter, Google, Google Google, Half Year, Hard Man, Innovative Technology, Inspiration, Integrators, Interviews, Minicom, Signage Industry, Start Something, Video Signals

Advertise Me interviews Steve from Symon

DigitalSignageBlog — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 05:00:53 +0000

This week we were lucky enough to speak with Steve from Symon and here’ s the interview:

advertise me:	Hi Steve, thanks for joining us for this interview – I know you’re a hard man to catch with your busy schedule.
Steve:	I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you.
Advertise Me:	Firstly, how did you hear about our digitalsignageblog.com?
Steve:	We monitor a wide range of resources and thought leaders in the industry and Digitalsignageblog is one of those that we monitor.
Advertise Me:	Now, please tell us a little bit about how Symon started with digital signage, and what was the inspiration behind the business?
Steve:	Symon is visual communications solutions company. We have been creating systems for managing the delivery of digital content to electronic displays for almost 30 years. We started by providing real-time system statistics to LED boards in data centers, then evolved into providing real-time agent activity statistics to displays in contact centers, then evolved to providing employee information to displays in corporations (e.g. conference rooms, cafeterias), then expanded into hospitality, health care, education, etc. The inspiration behind the company was to build the systems that would deliver information to people in a way that is easy to understand and then intuitive to act upon.
Advertise Me:	What kind of solutions does your company provide?
Steve:	We provide the hardware, software, services and content for supporting an end-to-end visual communications deployment. We like to say that we power the visual communications eco-system, which we classify as many solution-types (e.g. digital signage, kiosks, wayfinders, video walls, etc) combined to work in harmony for the purpose of creating a clear and measurable value proposition for our clients.
Advertise Me:	What makes Symon‘s products and solutions so different from other companies?
Steve:	The thing that makes us different is that we design, develop and produce all components of a solution. All of the content management/delivery hardware and software are of Symon‘s creation and we take accountability for the customer’s entire ownership experience. This means our customers have one company to hold responsible for all products and services within a deployment. We design it, produce it, sell it, install it and support it. If anything breaks or doesn’t work, our customers have “one neck to chock.”
Advertise Me:	In one of our recent digitalsignageblog.com post, we talked about “Using your Iphone as a mobile digital signage player?”. We understand that Symon has recently released such a product. Tell us a bit about this product and why your company decided to release such a product.
Steve:	Our product is InView Mobile. InView Mobile is a media play application for smartphones that retrieves and plays interactive, multi-media content that is based upon the location of the user. The purpose of InView Mobile is to provide digital signage viewers with additional information in a fashion that cannot be obtained through a traditional digital signage viewing experience. In the InView Mobile-enhanced experience, Viewers are encouraged to download and launch the InView Mobile application. Once launched, InView Mobile queries a Symon-hosted content management system to acquire and deliver a mobile version of the show currently playing on the screen. InView Mobile goes one step further in that it presents an interactive, touchscreen version of the big screen’s non-interactive show. All of this is managed through one content management system. We chose to create this product because digital signage has one big problem: It can’t quantify what people do once they’ve looked at a screen. InView Mobile gives us a platform to begin addressing this.
Advertise Me:	There are quite a number of people who believe that the Iphone should not be used a digital signage player, what do think about this? Are people not realising the true benefit of mobile marketing and mobile interactivity?
Steve:	Our customers sure think it’s a good idea and that’s all that matters to me.
Advertise Me:	Can you please share with us one of Symon‘s latest digital signage deployments/projects?
Steve:	Each month, Symon signs many new accounts. These new accounts represent marquee brands in corporate, hospitality, education, gaming, health care, etc. We have almost 8,000 customers representing 80% of the Fortune 100 and almost 70% of the Fortune 500. Look at almost any large company and there is a good chance that they will have a Symon system somewhere.
Advertise Me:	Do you have any advice for people who are planning to start a business in the digital signage industry?
Steve:	Don’t, unless they have a compelling angle that someone hasn’t thought of already (and please don’t let it be some new idea for an ad model). The competition is too great. The start ups can’t compete on the big deals and its tough to make a living off of a lot of little deals. In the five years I’ve been associated with this business, I’ve seen too many companies fail and there aren’t a whole lot of the survivors that are making money. The big guys will thrive, the little guys will have a tough go of it. I could write a book on this subject, but suffice it to say, you’ve got to have scale to win and a startup does not typically have enough resources to get scale.
Advertise Me:	This is our final question. What do you see as the next “BIG THING” in digital signage?
Steve:	Mobility. Interactivity.
Advertise Me:	Steve, thanks for taking part in this interview and we hope to speak to you again in the near future.

To read more interviews click here: http://www.digitalsignageblog.com/category/digital-signage-interview/

About Symon

Symon Communications is a 29 year provider of in-venue visual communications solutions to over 7,500 customers globally, including 80% of the Fortune 100.

About Advertise Me:

Advertise Me is a privately owned Australian company specialising in all aspects of digital signage solutions.

You can expect us to:

offer the most affordable and cost effective solutions tailored to your specific business needs.
provide you with concise and accurate information and will ensure that you understand and are comfortable with our proposals.
strive to make our clients happy and successful.

We have partnered with a number of key reputable organisations and will continue to build further partnerships to deliver the most effective solutions for our customers.

Visit our website at www.advertiseme.com.au for more information.

© AdvertiseMe.com.au for Digital Signage Blog, 2009. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: Activity Statistics, Busy Schedule, Cafeterias, data center, Digital Content, digital signage, Electronic Displays, Hard Man, hardware, Hardware Software Services, Health Care Education, interview, iphone, kiosks, led, Measurable Value, Real Time System, services, software, Solutions Company, symon, System Statistics, Time Agent, Value Proposition, Video Walls, visual communications, Visual Communications Solutions

Digital Signage and Google Chrome OS

DigitalSignageBlog — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 04:00:59 +0000

Today’s great news is that Google is planning to release it’s own OS called Google

Chrome OS and will compete against the almighty Microsoft Enterprise. We believe this is great news for the digital signage community because of the following reasons:

1. It’s Open Source and will be free. Moving towards an open source OS, will provide a significant savings to you and your clients.

2. According to Google, the Chrome O.S is fast and efficient. This is perfect for digital signage.

3. It’s lightweight – you will be able to install this on a netbook and run your digital signage application.

4. Its secure – like the Google Chrome browser, Google has designed the security architecture of the OS so that users don’t have to deal with viruses, malware and security updates. This means spending less time patching!!!

5. Designed for the web – since most companies are now moving towards SaaS then this is a perfect match.

We look forward to testing various digital signage software on the Google Chrome and we can’t wait to get our hands dirty.

And a final note: Thanks google for making our life easier and cheaper for everyone!

© AdvertiseMe.com.au for Digital Signage Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 3 comments |
Post tags: Chrome, digital signage, digital signage player, Digital Signage Software, Google, Great News, Malware, microsoft, Microsoft Enterprise, Netbook, Open Source Os, Own Os, Perfect Match, Poll Id, SaaS, Secure Browser, Security Architecture, Security Updates, Testing Software, Viruses, Www Google

Digital Radio in Australia

DigitalSignageBlog — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:30:02 +0000

Australia has just launched Digital Radio (launched on the 1st July 2009)!!!

Now if you live in a more advanced country than Australia you might be thinking to yourself, “We had Digital Radio several years ago!” but this shows that Australia is slowly catching up with the rest of the world and are embracing and deploying new technologies.

For those that don’t know much about digital radio, it’s basically like switching from your standard Analogue TV to Digital TV. Surely you must have seen the difference – better video and audio quality and better features.

Basically this is the same with Digital Radio, switching from your Analogue radio to digital means you receive crispier audio quality and additional features (i.e you can receive on screen information of what is actually being played, easily tune to your channels). Now like digital TV you needed to buy a set top box and much like with digital radio you will also need to purchase a digital radio receiver.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation is one of the main broadcaster of the digital radio services and if you live in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth you will be able to tune in to the digital radio service. If you don’t have one of these digital radio receivers you can easily purchase one at your local ABC Shop (even go to the ABC Shop website) or go to a leading electronics store.

How do you see digital radio being integrated with digital signage?

Feel free to submit your answer as a comment.

© AdvertiseMe.com.au for Digital Signage Blog, 2009. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: Abc Shop, Adelaide, Analogue Radio, Audio Quality, Australia Australia, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Brisbane, Broadcaster, Digital Radio, Digital Radio Receiver, Digital Radio Receivers, Digital Radio Service, Digital Radio Services, Digital Receivers, Digital Tv, Electronics Store, Perth, Radio Australia, Radio Digital, Rest Of The World, Sydney Melbourne, Top Radio, Tv Digital

Interesting Digital Signage Discussion Video

DigitalSignageBlog — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:30:35 +0000

There’s quite a lot of content out there on the Internet but this is the very first time I’ve actually stumbled across a Video Discussion on digital signage. I have learnt quite a lot just from watching these videos and I thought why not share it with our readers.

Now this discussion was organised/sponsored by Dynamax (thanks guys) and the companies involved included Dogobert, DigiCom, Stand Media, Imperative Group and Rocket Communications.

The main topic of the discussion was “Digital Out of Home is a multi channel multi touch-point communications medium. How should we design for the future to maximise viewer and user relevancy?”

The actual discussion was divided into several questions and there were:

PART 1 What do we mean by “multi touch-point” (devices/access points etc) in the context of Digital Out Of Home and what is it trying to achieve for viewers and/or users? (relevancy?)

PART 2 What does the existing Digital Out Of Home solution need to do more of to enhance the medium’s relationship with the end user? What – if anything – should we also stop doing?

PART 3 Does ‘multi touch-point’ mean ‘two-way’ communication? If so, how and where should this be designed into the medium to offer view & user value (however you choose to define that) when out of the home?

PART 4 How can multi touch-point digital media generate experiential value for users? Is this value easy to identify and reconcile commercially?

PART 5 What creative design elements are considered to be best of breed today and what trends are likely to emerge in the next 12 months?

PART 6 What physical design elements are considered to be best of breed today and what trends are likely to emerge in the next 12 months?

PART 7 What is the commercial challenge of delivering DOOH across multiple touch-points and how can this be best planned & managed?

Part 8 What challenges does the transactional nature of a multi touch-point model mean in terms of capturing, managing, storing and commercialising data?

PART 9 The collection of data means we can offer the viewer or the customer more value; what value does this offer?

PART 10 Which component parts of a multi touch-point proposition may offer the most commercial opportunities over the next 12 months and why?

PART 11 Does opening up the medium to users generating their own content necessarily make the medium more ‘relevant’?

Source: http://www.ddrmag.co.uk/links.php

Here’s the video of the first part of the discussion:

If you were present in the discussion, how would you have answer this question:
“What do we mean by “multi touch-point” (devices/access points etc) in the context of Digital Out Of Home and what is it trying to achieve for viewers and/or users? (relevancy?)”

Feel free to submit your answer as a comment.

© AdvertiseMe.com.au for Digital Signage Blog, 2009. | Permalink | One comment |
Post tags: 12 Months, Access Points, Amp, Commercial Challenge, Commercial Opportunities, Component Parts, Creative Design, Design Elements, digital signage, Digital Video, Dooh, Dynamax, Home Solution, Multi Media, Point Communications, Point Model, Relationship, Relevancy, Solution Need, Transactional Nature, Video Digital

Digital Signage and Google Trends

DigitalSignageBlog — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 05:30:59 +0000

Out of curiosity I decided to perform a Google trend search for the term digital signage – the exact term “Digital Signage” was performed to see what the trend has been over the years. From the image on the left, you can clearly see that the number of people searching for this term has increased over the years and I believe it will constantly continue to grow. But what I was more surprised from the information Google Trends provided was the regions that provided the highest searches. The majority of these regions where the Asian countries.

Here are the results:

Regions

1. Taiwan
2. Malaysia
3. South Korea
4. South Africa
5. Singapore
6. India
7. Canada
8. New Zealand
9. Australia
10. United States

From these results can one assume that there is a higher demand (based on search trends) for digital signage in Taiwan or Malaysia (I’m quite surprised to see malaysia being ranked second on the list) compared to countries like New Zealand, Australia and the United States?

Feel free to submit your answer as a comment.

© AdvertiseMe.com.au for Digital Signage Blog, 2009. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: Asian Countries, Canada, Curiosity, Digital Id, digital signage, Google, Google Search, Google Trends, Graph, India, New Zealand Australia, Poll Id, Search Trends, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Trend, United States

The truth uncovered: Playing music in your business environment is too expensive

DigitalSignageBlog — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 06:40:18 +0000

I just finished reading an article from TechDirt and was shocked to find out how much the yearly licensing fees are for playing music in a nightclub or a restaurant. Here is a short extract from the article:

“It wants to increase licensing fees in a 120-seat restaurant to $19,344 a year — up from $125. Small cafes would be slugged with a 4729 per cent yearly increase from $124 to $5860.”

Source: http://techdirt.com/articles/20090615/0329305236.shtml

For those digital signage businesses who provide their clients with a digital signage solution that plays music in the background, have you considered what legal implications are involved and what the licensing requirements are? Even if your client has paid for the music clips or videos!

In Australia, retail stores that play music – whether from the radio, purchased CDs, computers, digital signage are required to pay a licensing fee otherwise it may be considered breaching copyright laws and eventually be fined thousands of dollars.

Now we all know that music can set the mood and atmosphere in your store, nightclub, restaurant or cafe but did you know that you may have to pay a licensing fee for playing music in your business environment or anywhere in public areas? Basically, if you play music in your store you need to have a PPCA public performance license to play protected sound recordings and an APRA public performance license to play musical and literary works. For more information about this visit https://transactions.business.gov.au/BLIS/musiclicence.aspx

All I can say is, just make sure that if you’re running a business or if you’re installing a digital signage solution with audio for one of your clients make sure you mention these licencing requirements to your client otherwise they (or possibly your business) may end up paying a hefty fine – so don’t risk it.

After thinking about this situation, do you believe a license is required for playing videos of unsigned artists playing original songs from Youtube in your store or business environment?

Feel free to submit your answer as a comment.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but my understanding is that because these artists are unsigned (i.e don’t have a label) the PPCA, or APRA won’t be paying them one cent so why should you pay for the license fee if all you’re playing is songs from these unsigned artists. For example, here’s one of my favourite Youtube R&B groups called LEGACI playing an original song. Keep it up boys.

© AdvertiseMe.com.au for Digital Signage Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 3 comments |
Post tags: australia, Blis, Business Environment, Business Environments, Cafes, Cds Computers, Copyright Laws, digital signage, Exact Figures, Legal Implications, Licence Costs, Licencing Requirements, Licensing Fee, Licensing Requirements, Music Background, Music Business, Music Cds, music clips, Music Radio, Music Retail, Music Videos, Performance License, Play Music, Playing Music, Public Areas, Public Performance, Retail Environment, retail stores, Running A Business, Seat Restaurant, Shtml, Signage Solution, Sound Recordings, Techdirt, Thousands Of Dollars, Truth, Unsigned Artists, Youtube

Interesting screen technology for the future

DigitalSignageBlog — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 06:01:05 +0000

I came across this video and thought I’d share this with the rest of the digital signage community. It’s about an upcoming product from Nanolumens that will make screen installations a lot easier and potentially more affordable (I question this statement as most new technologies are generally more expensive).

Have a look at the technology yourself and let me know what you think.

If you had one of these screens, where would you install it?

Feel free to submit your answer as a comment.

© AdvertiseMe.com.au for Digital Signage Blog, 2009. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: digital signage, interesting screen technology, Lot, nanolumens, Screen Technology, screens, Technology For The Future

Introducing digitalsignagearticles.com

DigitalSignageBlog — Wed, 27 May 2009 08:14:12 +0000

Wouldn’t you like to read all your digital signage articles in one central location?

We’ve developed a new website called digitalsignagearticles.com (Digital Signage Articles). Check it out and if you’re interested in adding your digital signage articles (blogs, news…. or any articles relating to digital signage) then get in contact with us.

© AdvertiseMe.com.au for Digital Signage Blog, 2009. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: Central Location, digital signage

Advertise Me Interviews Bill Gerba from Wirespring

DigitalSignageBlog — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 06:10:25 +0000

advertise me: Before we start, we would like to thank you Bill for taking the time to participate in this interview. We know you are a busy man so we’ll hopefully keep this interview nice and short. Could you please briefly introduce yourself for those of our readers who don’t know “Who is Bill Gerba?“.

Bill Gerba: Hi Marco, thanks for the chat. Well, for those who don’t know me, I’m the CEO and co-founder of WireSpring Technologies, a digital signage software and services company in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. On top of our software development operations, we also do a lot of industry research, which we publish on the WireSpring blog (which was recently renamed the “Digital Signage Insiders” blog). It’s the oldest digital signage blog out there, started in 2004, and has about 18,000 readers

Advertise Me: When and how did the company Wirespring start? How did the company derive it’s name?

Bill Gerba: We started out in May of 2000. At the time, wireless (cellular, WiFi and Bluetooth) were the “next big thing,” so the name tried to incorporate some of that. Our original product was a system that used the Bluetooth signal from your phone to triangulate your position in a retail space and then make promotional offers or provide wayfinding services based on that. Needless to say, with the very dumb cellular devices, low penetration of Bluetooth, and high equipment costs of the time, we met some resistance with that early product. We refocused our efforts on more traditional self-service kiosk and digital signage products soon after that.

Advertise Me: We recently read in your blog that you have been busy releasing a new product. Tell us more about this.

Bill Gerba: Up until very recently, our products were designed for large enterprises people who wanted to manage networks of hundreds or thousands of digital signs or kiosk terminals. While that business has served us well over the years, and we certainly continue to see good growth there, we also wanted to be able to pursue the many, many smaller opportunities that we had to pass on because our enterprise software was too complex. Hence, we decided to take all that we had learned from our enterprise FireCast and ClientCenter products and distill them down to a new, simplified product, and so Digital Signage EasyStart was born.

Advertise Me: What are some of the features that makes this new product stand out from other digital signage products?

Bill Gerba: Well for one, we’re selling the hardware and software as an integrated solution. If you buy EasyStart from us, it comes pre-loaded on a box that we’ve certified to work in every arrangement we can think of. If you’re buying from one of our distributors or resellers with their own hardware platform, we’ve certified that to work as well. For another, we’ve simplified the user interface by making a lot of decisions behind-the-scenes for the user. They want a 4-zone layout with certain aspect ratio? Ok, we’ll figure out the dimensions for each area and tell them. Want to switch between multi-zone and full-screen content? No problem, just check one checkbox. We’ve gone through and made hundreds of tweaks to our system to make it so easy that anyone can be up and running in minutes. We also made sure that it was easy to get in touch with support right from our user interface (over the web), and we bundle in video tutorials for all of the most commonly-used features.

Advertise Me: What are your thoughts on digital signage SaaS? Is Wirespring heading towards this path?

Bill Gerba: By my reckoning, WireSpring was the very first digital signage SaaS company — our ClientCenter web portal went online in August of 2001. Today, about 2/3 of our revenues are from our SaaS products. EasyStart is actually a break from that — there are no recurring fees — because while SaaS tends to work well for mid- to large enterprises, the small guys don’t want to be burdened with another monthly charge.

Advertise Me: Now, you’ve been in the digital signage business for a while, so what challenges and setbacks have you faced thus far?

Bill Gerba: Well, we certainly overestimated the demand in the early years. It was very, *VERY* hard to sell networks back when plasma screens cost $8-9000 each. Likewise, because the SaaS model was so new at the time (it was still called “application service provider” or ASP back then), we had to jump over some hurdles to get customers to understand the benefits of the approach. Thankfully, that has gotten a lot easier.

Advertise Me: Do you have any advice for people who are planning to start a business in the digital signage industry?

Bill Gerba: Two rules cover 90% of what I have seen gone wrong:

Rule #1: If you’re going to start an ad-funded network, you had better have a team of people who are *already* experienced with selling ads.

Rule #2: Everything takes 3x as long as you think it should. Plan out your time and budget accordingly.

Advertise Me: This is our final question. What do you see as the next “BIG THING” in digital signage?

Bill Gerba: That’s a tough one. Certainly interactivity seems to be gaining a lot of ground, though I’ve still seen more cool tech demos than actual deployments using it. Gestural interaction, mobile interaction, anything that can get a viewer to engage with the content is becoming really important. People are also starting to think outside of the box — literally. While LCD screens still make up the majority of DS deployments today, more people are using 3D, unique bezels, or projection onto holographic film to create images that aren’t square in an attempt to be more eye catching. I think that as people get more used to the idea of big screens hanging around everywhere (including their living rooms) network owners are trying to step up their presences with interactivity and unique display formats to remain visible.

Advertise Me: Once again Bill, thanks for your time and we wish you all the best with the release of the new Wirespring product.

To read more interviews click here: http://www.digitalsignageblog.com/category/digital-signage-interview/

About Advertise Me:

Advertise Me is a privately owned Australian company specialising in all aspects of digital signage solutions.

You can expect us to:

offer the most affordable and cost effective solutions tailored to your specific business needs.
provide you with concise and accurate information and will ensure that you understand and are comfortable with our proposals.
strive to make our clients happy and successful.

We have partnered with a number of key reputable organisations and will continue to build further partnerships to deliver the most effective solutions for our customers.

Visit our website at www.advertiseme.com.au for more information.

© AdvertiseMe.com.au for Digital Signage Blog, 2009. | Permalink | One comment |
Post tags: Bill Gerba, Bluetooth Phone, Busy Man, Cellular Devices, Co Founder, Development Operations, Digital Signage Software, Digital Signs, Fort Lauderdale, Gerba, Insiders, Kiosk Terminals, Lauderdale Florida, Penetration, Retail Space, Self Service, Signage Products, Software Development, Taking The Time, Wifi, Wirespring